by: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
 
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Alphonso Anderson and Diogo Brito combined for 34 points off the bench, Justin Bean had his fourth double-double of the season and the No. 15/16 Utah State men's basketball team grinded out a 68-59 victory over North Texas on Sunday in the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic at the Montego Bay Convention Center.
 
Anderson, a junior forward, scored a team-high 19 points, including 14 in the second half alone and 10 during the final 6:41 of the game, as the Aggies (7-0) won the Montego Bay Division of the Jamaica Classic. For his efforts, Anderson was named to the Jamaica Classic all-Tournament team, while Bean was named the tournament MVP.
 
Utah State ended the game on an 11-0 run, turning a 59-57 deficit with 4:11 to go into a nine-point victory. Bean had a key block – his only one of the game – during that stretch. The sophomore forward finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
North Texas (2-5), which led for more than 20 minutes in the game, got 19 points from Umoja Gibson and 18 points from Deng Geu. The Mean Green shot 38.1 percent from the field (24-of-63), including just 21.7 percent from 3-point range (5-of-23), and 85.7 percent from the free throw line (6-of-7).
 
UNT led by five on two separate occasions in the second half. A dunk by Geu, followed by a Gibson layup, gave the Mean Green their 59-57 lead. North Texas misfired on its final seven shots of the game. In fact, the designated visitors made just two of their final 12 shots.
 
Bean ignited the Aggies' game-ending surge with a jumper in the key, tying the contest at 59-apiece with 3:55 to go. Anderson put Utah State in front for good at the 2:19 mark when he knocked down a jumper of his own.
 
Senior guard Sam Merrill and junior guard Abel Porter were held to five and six points apiece, respectively. All five of Merrill's points came in the second half as he was 5-for-6 from the charity stripe and 0-for-6 from the field.
 
Brito scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half. The senior guard also had three steals and grabbed four rebounds, helping Utah State win the battle on the boards, 36-33.
 
The Aggies shot 40.4 percent on the night (19-of-47), including 21.4 percent from 3-point range (3-of-14), and 79.4 percent at the free throw line (27-of-34). Utah State had seven assists on its 19 field goals. Merrill led the way with three helpers, to go along with five rebounds.
 
Behind a combined six points from Gibson and Geu, North Texas jumped out to a 9-6 advantage less than four minutes into the game. Anderson gave Utah State its first lead of the night when he scored four points less than 40 seconds apart, making it 10-9 for the Aggies.
 
Brito nailed a 3-pointer to give Utah State a 29-27 lead with 1:16 remaining in the half, but Gibson answered with a 3-ball of his own at the other end, sending North Texas into the locker room up by one.
 
Utah State returns to the road next weekend when the Aggies travel to Moraga, Calif., to take on Saint Mary's on Friday, Nov. 29. The non-conference game, which is slated to tip at 9:30 p.m. (MT), will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
 
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
 
-USU-